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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://gcore.com/docs/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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Multi-codec for lower CDN costs

Many VOD libraries are still stored and delivered mainly in H.264. H.264 is widely compatible, but it usually needs more bitrate than newer codecs to reach the same visual quality. For large catalogs, this directly affects CDN traffic costs. With multi-codec VOD, Gcore can create additional HEVC, AV1, and VP9 renditions from your uploaded source videos. Players can then choose the most efficient codec supported by each device. Viewers keep the same visual quality, while compatible devices receive smaller video segments and generate less CDN traffic. Live streaming with advanced codecs can be designed for live broadcasting too, but it requires additional validation of the ingest, transcoding, packaging, latency, and player path before launch. This feature is designed for enterprise customers with large VOD libraries and high delivery volume. It is available with premium transcoding. To activate it, contact your salesperson or account manager.
Premium transcoding is a paid feature.

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Demo video

The demo video has H.264, HEVC, and AV1 renditions. VP9 is not included in this demo manifest.
CodecManifest codec IDResolutionVideo bitrateReduction vs H.264 at same resolution
AV1av01.0.16M.084839x216012 MbpsAbout 50% vs 24 Mbps H.264 4K rendition
AV1av01.0.12M.082420x10803 Mbps50%
AV1av01.0.08M.081613x7201.35 Mbps50%
AV1av01.0.04M.081049x468400 Kbps50%
AV1av01.0.04M.08807x360225 Kbps50%
HEVChev1.1.2.L180.904839x216014.4 MbpsAbout 40% vs 24 Mbps H.264 4K rendition
HEVChev1.1.2.L150.902420x10803.6 Mbps40%
HEVChev1.1.2.L120.901613x7201.62 Mbps40%
HEVChev1.1.2.L90.901049x468480 Kbps40%
HEVChev1.1.2.L90.90807x360270 Kbps40%
H.264avc1.4d00334096x182824 MbpsBaseline
H.264avc1.4d00322420x10806 MbpsBaseline
H.264avc1.4d00201613x7202.7 MbpsBaseline
H.264avc1.4d001f1049x468800 KbpsBaseline
H.264avc1.4d001e807x360450 KbpsBaseline
AAC audiomp4a.40.2Audio only64, 128, and 192 Kbps—
SubtitlesWebVTTEnglish——
Gcore uses generic encoding parameters that fit many video libraries out of the box. If you have your own quality targets, bitrate ladder, codec priorities, or device requirements, Gcore can review them and apply custom transcoding settings for your workflow.
Gcore uses modern NVIDIA and Intel GPU encoding and decoding hardware in multiple regions worldwide. This helps process large transcoding workloads quickly and makes multi-codec preparation practical for large VOD libraries, especially using batch-migration).

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HLS manifest example

The demo HLS master manifest is available at: 
https://demo-public.gvideo.io/videos/2675_1HlbGeRCqFdFJb2S/master.m3u8
It contains AV1, HEVC, and H.264 video variants with AAC audio: 
#EXTM3U

#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:BANDWIDTH=12192000,RESOLUTION=4839x2160,FRAME-RATE=24.000,CODECS="av01.0.16M.08,mp4a.40.2",SUBTITLES="subs0"
index-s0q5739v1-v1-a1.m3u8
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:BANDWIDTH=14592000,RESOLUTION=4839x2160,FRAME-RATE=24.000,CODECS="hev1.1.2.L180.90,mp4a.40.2",SUBTITLES="subs0"
index-s0q5749v1-v1-a1.m3u8
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:BANDWIDTH=24192000,RESOLUTION=4096x1828,FRAME-RATE=24.000,CODECS="avc1.4d0033,mp4a.40.2",SUBTITLES="subs0"
index-s0q5759v1-v1-a1.m3u8
...
When a video has any non-H.264 codec, master.m3u8 automatically uses HLS CMAF with fragmented MP4 (.m4s) chunks for the modern-codec variants. The player still opens the same master.m3u8 URL, but the variant playlists contain .m4s chunks instead of only .ts segments. 
#EXT-X-MAP:URI="init-s0q5737v1-v1-a1.m4s"
#EXTINF:2.000,
segment-1-s0q5737v1-v1-a1.m4s
#EXTINF:2.000,
segment-2-s0q5737v1-v1-a1.m4s
For the detailed technical explanation, see HLS TS and CMAF formats.

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MPEG-DASH manifest example

The demo MPEG-DASH manifest is available at: 
https://demo-public.gvideo.io/videos/2675_1HlbGeRCqFdFJb2S/master.mpd
It groups codecs into separate AdaptationSet blocks. AV1 is delivered as WebM chunks, while HEVC and H.264 are delivered as fragmented MP4 chunks: 
<AdaptationSet id="1" maxWidth="4839" maxHeight="2160" maxFrameRate="24">
  <SegmentTemplate
      media="dash-segment-$Number$-$RepresentationID$.webm"
      initialization="dash-init-$RepresentationID$.webm" />
  <Representation
      id="f1-v1-x3"
      mimeType="video/webm"
      codecs="av01.0.16M.08"
      width="4839"
      height="2160"
      bandwidth="12000000" />
</AdaptationSet>

<AdaptationSet id="2" maxWidth="4839" maxHeight="2160" maxFrameRate="24">
  <SegmentTemplate
      media="dash-segment-$Number$-$RepresentationID$.m4s"
      initialization="dash-init-$RepresentationID$.m4s" />
  <Representation
      id="f2-v1-x3"
      mimeType="video/mp4"
      codecs="hev1.1.2.L180.90"
      width="4839"
      height="2160"
      bandwidth="14400000" />
</AdaptationSet>

<AdaptationSet id="3" maxWidth="4839" maxHeight="2160" maxFrameRate="24">
  <SegmentTemplate
      media="dash-segment-$Number$-$RepresentationID$.m4s"
      initialization="dash-init-$RepresentationID$.m4s" />
  <Representation
      id="f3-v1-x3"
      mimeType="video/mp4"
      codecs="avc1.4d0033"
      width="4096"
      height="1828"
      bandwidth="24000000" />
</AdaptationSet>
...

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Activation

HEVC, AV1, and VP9 multi-codec transcoding is available for enterprise customers who use premium transcoding. To activate it, contact your salesperson or account manager and share:
  • Expected library size and monthly traffic
  • Current source codec, usually H.264
  • Target devices and geographies
  • Required codecs: HEVC, AV1, VP9, or a subset
  • Expected migration plan for existing assets
After activation, Gcore will configure the required transcoding presets for your account.

Output codecs and parameters

Review default and custom transcoding outputs

HLS, MPEG-DASH, MP4

Learn how modern codecs are delivered to players